From NKAA, Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (main entry)

Webster County (KY) Slaves, Free Blacks, and Free Mulattoes, 1860-1880

Webster County, located in western Kentucky, was formed in 1860 from portions of Henderson, Hopkins, and Union Counties. It is bordered by five counties and was named for Daniel Webster, a U.S. Congressman who opposed the War of 1812. The seat of Webster County is Dixon, which was incorporated in 1861 and named for Archibald Dixon, a U.S. Senator from Kentucky and the 12th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky. The 1860 Webster County population was 6,449, according to the U.S. Federal Census, and excluding the slaves. The population increased to 14,249 by 1880. Below are the number of slave owners, slaves, free Blacks, and free Mulattoes for 1860-1880.

1860 Slave Schedule
  • 256 slave owners
  • 790 Black slaves
  • 293 Mulatto slaves
  • 11 free Blacks [most with the last name Tye, 3 Brooks, 1 White]
  • 22 free Mulattoes [most with the last names Brooks, Hambleton, Lisle, and Rose]
1870 U.S. Federal Census
  • 923 Blacks
  • 367 Mulattoes
  • About 18 U.S. Colored Troops listed Webster County, KY, as their birth location.
1880 U.S. Federal Census
  • 1,154 Blacks
  • 0 Mulattoes
For more see the Webster County entry in The Kentucky Encyclopedia, edited by J. E. Kleber; Jesse Oliver Mays Collection; and "Samuel Watson" in Homeless, Friendless, and Penniless: the WPA interviews with former slaves living in Indiana, by R. L. Baker.
See the photo image of the Sebree Colored School at Kentucky Digital Library - Images.

References

Cited in this Entry

NKAA Source: The Kentucky encyclopedia
NKAA Source: Jesse Oliver Mays collection (archival material)
NKAA Source: Homeless, friendless, and penniless : the WPA interviews with former slaves living in Indiana

Cite This NKAA Entry:

“Webster County (KY) Slaves, Free Blacks, and Free Mulattoes, 1860-1880,” Notable Kentucky African Americans Database, accessed January 22, 2021, https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/2602.

Last modified: 2017-07-19 17:51:52